Splash
by HooksGunsAndArrows
Summary: A Bellarke Lifeguard AU, where Clarke is the new girl on the beach, and Bellamy is her training lifeguard. Featuring other characters as beach-goers and lifeguards. Expect plenty of Bellarke fluff and jealousy/angst. Rated T.
1. Introductions

**Splash**

_A Bellarke Lifeguard AU, co-written with Kazziiee, or you can find her over on Tumblr, her username is frickenfreckle, and her blog's worth the visit!_

* * *

Clarke loved swimming. Ever since her father ran into the freezing cold water of the Atlantic Ocean with her under his arm when she was four years old, Clarke could never spend enough time splashing around in the silver liquid.

When she was eight, she read a book telling her about how all life began in the oceans, how water is the very foundation of life itself. She found that oddly beautiful.

Growing up in Virginia, she didn't have a lot of opportunities to swim, save for the weekly classes she forced her father to take her to. He called her his 'Little Mermaid'.

The only time she stopped swimming was when her dad died when she was eleven. Car accident. It took her two years to get into swimming again.

At almost-eighteen years old, the petite blonde got accepted into UCLA's marine biology programme, so at the end of her high school education, she couldn't get away from Virginia fast enough. She had found a small apartment on the beach front, and had applied for a multitude of positions. Clarke had decided to seize the opportunity and apply for a lifeguard position in the lifeguard station that stood right in front of her apartment building.

She hadn't expected to get it, after all, she had absolutely zero experience in the field, save for that lifesaving course she did last summer. She wasn't used to the sand, waves or the multitude of hot, shirtless guys distracting her.

Still, she walked into the lifeguard station with her head held high, feigning confidence in order to disguise her nervousness. The fact that she was the only woman in the room just made things infinitely worse.

"You must be the new girl." The first guy said, practically leaping out of his seat by the window. "I'm Jasper."

"Clarke." She replied, shaking his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Monty." The other guy said shyly.

"Hi." Clarke greets, shaking his hand too. "So, are you two the only guys that work here?" She asked.

"Oh, God no. We're just manning the tower while the rest of the guys are down savin' lives." Jasper says, gesturing towards the setup of binoculars, cameras and computer screens all lying on the long desk underneath the window.

"Speaking of which." Monty says, reaching out to grab his walkie-talkie, "Hey, Bell, the new girl just arrived. She's in the tower." He speaks into the device, pressing down on the button as he does so.

"Copy that." A muffled, male voice crackles through the speaker. "Be there in five."

Monty smiles at Clarke. "Okay, since your training guard is on his way here, let us give you a quick run down of how things operate around here."

"Sounds great." Clarke replies.

"Okay," Jasper begins, "lockers are in the back room, one's already got your name on it, showers are in the building across the boardwalk."

"Medical supplies are over there, and there are first aid kits on all the dune buggies."Monty continues. "Here's your uniform, you can change in the back."

"That's the basics, I'm sure Bellamy will give you a more comprehensive idea of the rules of the beach." Jasper says.

"And Bellamy is?" Clarke asks.

"Your supervisor. He'll show you the ropes." Monty replies.

"The rest of the lifeguards are on the beach. You can introduce yourself as you meet them." Jasper tells her. "Lunch break's at one. If you haven't met everyone by then, I'll introduce you."

"Thanks, guys. I'm gonna go get changed real quick, before Bellamy gets here." She says, gesturing to the back room. "Oh, and I'm just wondering, is there any kind of initiation-prank-type-thing here? 'Cos if there is, I'd like to be prepared."

"Nah, we're not like that around here." Monty tells her. "Just hope you don't get some horrible nickname."

"Nickname?" Clarke repeats.

"Yeah. We all have nicknames on the beach. While some are fine, others are not." Jasper says. "Monty's just Mon, and I'm Goggles." He holds up a hand. "Don't ask."

"And who comes up with these nicknames?" Clarke asks. She's only had one other nickname before, and no-one has called her that in almost seven years.

"Depends. Usually it just happens. Someone calls you something as a joke, the name sticks." Jasper says. "Do you really think I like the name 'Goggles'?"

"Awh, come on Goggles, I think it suits you." Another voice chimes in.

Clarke's eyes widen slightly. She doesn't think she's ever seen a man _that_ gorgeous.

Standing in the doorway, all Clarke can see is his silhouette contrasting against the bright light of the sun. Even then, she can see he's shirtless, his dark hair plastered to his head.

His body glistens as he steps inside, bathing in the artificial glow of the lamps, partly from the sea, partly because of sweat. The dark skin of his chiselled face is splattered in even darker freckles, and his eyes are the deepest chocolate brown she has ever seen.

He extends a hand. "Clarke, right?" He asks, snapping Clarke out of her daze.

She meets his gaze, taking hold of his hand. She could swear that she felt a spark of electricity travel from his hand through her entire being. "Yeah." She replies, somewhat shakily.

"Bellamy. Although most people call me Bell." He says, releasing his grip. Clarke immediately misses his warmth. _No, Clarke, he's your boss. You can't think stuff like that. Plus, you just met him. What the hell are you thinking?_

"Bell." She repeats. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." He smiles. _Oh God, _Clarke thinks, _his smile. _It may just be the best smile she's ever had the pleasure of receiving. "I'll be your TO. We can get started straight away."

"Great." She says, composing herself. "I'll just go get changed."

"Yeah, of course, through there." He tells her, gesturing to the back room.

She nods, slipping into the room.

What she doesn't see is Bellamy's gaze following her.

_Geez, Bell. Compose yourself. She's just a girl. Stop acting like a complete idiot. _He was trying (and failing) to stop thinking about the newest addition to their small team, and the fact that she was literally feet from him, most likely half-naked. _What? No! Stop. Don't think about her like that. She's your trainee._

Her being his trainee did not change the fact that he couldn't stop staring at her porcelain skin and golden hair as they trekked down the beach.

Now dressed in the standard lifeguard blues, a plain navy one-piece suit that reached her mid-thigh poking out from underneath. She sported a blue baseball cap and aviators, with her blonde hair tied into a neat ponytail.

He gave her a warm smile as she walked alongside him.

"You okay, Clarke?" He asks, noticing her hands wrapped around her chest.

She nodded quickly. "I'm just wondering... am I the only girl who works here?"

"That's what you're nervous about?" He chuckled slightly, leading her over to one of the stands to grab her a whistle. "You know, us guys are pretty nice here, no need to be afraid. But no, you're not the only girl. We've got Octavia and Raven. O is surveying the south end today and Rae's got the day off."

"O and Rae are their nicknames?" She asked as he handed her the whistle and she put it around her neck.

"Well, Rae is Mec most of the time, O's just O." He answers her.

"Mec?"

"Yeah, she's a zero-gravity mechanic. Well, training to be."

"Wow. Not many people go into that field." She says.

"Well, she's got the smarts. And with the advances in space travel and all..." He replies. "What about you, Newbie? Why move all the way to LA?"

"I'm pre-med at UCLA. At least, I will be, come September." She answers.

"Future doc. I see." He smiles brightly at her.

"What about you, Bell?" She asks, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.

"Nah, college isn't for me. Not enough time to surf." He smiles.

A long silence falls between them as Clarke chews on her lip nervously. "Should I worry?" She asks.

"Nah, just don't do anything too embarrassing and you'll be fine." He assures her.

"Bellamy!" A voice called out to him from behind.

"Yes, Boss?" Bellamy calls, turning to meet the larger man's gaze.

"I asked you to report to me when the newbie arrived," he scolded, now turning to face Clarke.

"I'm Lincoln, but most people call me-"

"Scary," Bellamy butted in, smirking up at him.

Lincoln glared down him before looking back at the blonde. "Most people call me Linc. Or wise guy over here calls me Abe."

Clarke raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Abraham Lincoln, Abe is short for Abraham," Bellamy explained.

"Ah, I see." Clarke says.

"Anyway, you're Clarke, correct?" Her new boss asks her.

She nodded, shaking the hand that he held out to her.

"Bellamy is your boss for now, but I'm in charge of this place so if you can't find Bellamy come to me and any problems that need urgent fixing will be reported to me straight away, understand?"

"I understand." She replied, nodding her head.

"Good, okay Bell over to you." He says, smiling slightly at Clarke and narrowing his eyes at Bellamy. "Do _not_ get her involved in your shenanigans. I don't need the both of you causing trouble around here."

Bellamy raised his hand in mock salute. "Sir, yes, sir." He smirked.

Lincoln rolled his eyes as he left, walking towards the tower.

He turned his attention back to the beauty in front of him. "Let's get going."

He showed her the north end where Jasper and Monty were supervising. Well, if supervising meant 'who could make a bigger sandcastle' competition, then that's exactly what they were doing. He then led her through the building where he showed her the locker area, each changing room, the showers and the bathroom. Afterwards he showed her the café where she had a 10% discount as she was staff and gave her the keys to the supply closet, which held towels, whistles and the first aid equipment, including the defibrillator, the spare oxygen tank, and their store of highly effective pain medication.

"Whatever you do," He says, "do _not _let Jasper and Monty get to this stash."

"Or else?" She challenges, raising an eyebrow.

"Bad things will happen Clarke. _Bad things_." He tells her, his voice lowering to a whisper.

She let out a small laugh, and he's sure that it's the most beautiful sound to ever grace his ears.

She must have noticed him staring at her, as her skin blushes a light shade of pink. "So...when do I get to do rescues?"

He coughs lightly. "Um...well you have the training, right?" He asks.

"Yeah. I mean, I know CPR and First Aid, I'm a pretty good swimmer, so..."

"Okay, so all you need to do is grab a board. They're hard to operate at first..." He trails off, disappearing behind a storage unit, and reappearing seconds later with a bulky, bright blue rescue board that must have been at least two meters long. "...but you'll get used to it." He smiles, handing her the piece of apparatus.

Clarke struggled to grab hold of the board properly. It was heavy, heavier than the ones they had at the beach where she did her training last summer.

Bellamy smiled, chuckling softly at Clarke's clumsiness. He grabbed his board and began walking toward the exit, where a small dune buggy was parked. He secured his board on the side of it before returning his attention to Clarke. By now, she had managed to tame the board, dragging it behind her as she walked towards Bellamy.

Deciding he should help the rookie with loading up the buggy, he carefully grabbed the board and showed her how to snap the board into place.

"Come on," he says, "we'll go patrol the south end. Octavia's dying to meet you. She loves having new people around to annoy."

Clarke raises a perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

"She's just friendly." He answers her unasked question. "A little too friendly sometimes."

Clarke smiles slightly as she jumps into the passenger seat beside him.

They travel quickly down the beach in silence. They pass a number of tourists, a woman running with her dog, and a group of surfers before pulling up to another buggy, occupied by a young woman who was standing up on the drivers' seat, poking her head out over the top of the vehicle while shouting through a bullhorn.

"This area is dangerous!" She shouted. "Please move towards the red and yellow flags so that you _don't_ drown? Thank you." She finishes her statement with a slightly sarcastic note.

"Hey, O! What did Abe say about harassing the beach goers?" Bellamy scolds her.

"They weren't listening to me!" She shouted, gesturing to the group of teenagers that were now moving sheepishly across the sandbank.

"Okay! Geez, O, calm down a bit." He tells her.

"Who's this?" She said, looking at Clarke.

"Hi. I'm Clarke Griffin." Clarke greets, extending her hand.

"Oh!" Octavia exclaims. "You're the new girl!" She accepts Clarke's hand, but instead of shaking it, she pulled the taller girl into a hug. "I'm Octavia."

As Clarke pulls away, Bellamy looks at Octavia with a disapproving look. "O, come on, don't scare the new girl off."

"Oh come on, Bell. Lighten up a little. You know, if you weren't such an emotionless robot, maybe Granny would stop nagging you to get a girlfriend." Octavia retorts.

"She does not nag me." He defends, quieter than usual. He feels a heat rise to his cheeks, suddenly hyper-aware of Clarke's presence beside him.

"Not to your face! But who's the one who has to sit there a listen to her ramble on about how she wishes you'd meet a 'nice girl'. That's right. Me." She says, pointing to herself. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." She continues, now focused on the water.

Holding up the bullhorn, she shouts, "Yo! Spacewalker! Have you forgotten you're on shift? Get the hell over here, I don't want to have to rescue you." She turns off the bullhorn, facing Clarke and Bellamy. "Again." She says with a bored expression on her face. "Anyway, welcome to Ark Beach. I hope my brother hasn't been treating you too badly." She tells Clarke.

"Oh!" Clarke laughs. "You're siblings...that makes a lot more sense."

"You didn't mention me?" Octavia asks, folding her arms and looking slightly hurt.

"No, I-"He begins, being interrupted before he could finish.

"Are you kidding me, O? The surf was unreal!" Finn says to Octavia.

"Oh, deal with it, Collins. You have a job to do." Bellamy scolds him.

Finn groans, turning on his heel to face Bellamy, with the full intention of giving the guy a piece of his mind. He stopped, however, when he laid eyes on the stranger of the group.

He shot a charming smile at the blonde girl, a bright, dazzling smile that usually has girls melting at his feet. But the girl smiled back, a pretty, bright smile that almost had him melting at _her _feet.

He lets his smile fall into a lopsided grin, saying, "Hi."

The small woman smiles back. "Hi." She replies.

Out of the corner of his eye, Finn sees Bellamy roll his eyes. "Clarke, Spacewalker, Spacewalker, Clarke." Bellamy says, looking at the ground.

"Finn." He corrects. "Finn Collins."

"Nice to meet you, Finn-Finn Collins." The woman- Clarke says. "I'm Clarke Griffin."

He chuckles lightly, dropping his gaze to the sand below.

They are saved from an awkward silence as Octavia jumped into action. Grabbing her board, she said, "as much as I would like to stay here for this total flirting fest," she peels off her lifeguard t-shirt as Clarke and Finn go bright red, "duty calls."

Clarke's gaze follows the smaller woman as she rushes into the water, figuring she may want to pay attention to this.

The young child was dangerously close to a group of sharp rocks, in danger of being bashed against them by the strong swell any second.

Octavia moved through the water with graceful efficiency, arriving at the girl's location in less than a minute. She hoisted the girl up on the board in front of her, turning the board around and heading back to shore.

Falling off the board, Octavia said with a smile, "swim closer to the flags down there. You have less of a chance of getting hurt, okay sweetie?" The girl nodded, proceeding to run towards the spot O directed her to.

"Nice rescue." Clarke complimented when Octavia returned.

"Thanks." She smiled, pulling back on her t-shirt and putting sunglasses on. "That's the nice part about our job, y'know? You can help people all the time."

"Yeah." Clarke says. "It's the main reason I signed up. I'm all for helping people."

"Genius here is pre-med at UCLA." Bellamy informs. Finn and Octavia look at her with slightly shocked expressions.

"I will be. In September." She corrects.

"At least we'll have someone who actually knows how to treat patients from now on." Finn says. "All we have right now is our mediocre First Aid training and the pain relievers, which, by the way," he says, turning to Bellamy, "I think Jasper and Monty are using again."

"I'll do inventory tomorrow. Those two are such idiots sometimes." Bellamy says, shaking his head.

"Uh, so, what about you guys? You in college?" Clarke asks.

"I'm starting at Cal State in the fall, music major." She smiles.

Clarke nods at her. "You play music?"

"Drums mostly. I sing, too." She replies. "You?"

"I tried learning guitar when I was a kid. Did _not_ work out well." She laughs, her eyes drifting to Finn once again.

"What about you, Collins?" She chuckles. "You an astronaut or something?"

He smiles at her. "No, I'm an Environmental Science major."

"Then what's with the nickname?" Clarke asks.

"Raven took us to a place with a zero-gravity simulator, at the university. Genius here," Octavia says, gesturing to Finn, "thought it would be fun to break the rules and get out of his seat before the gravity thingy was on full power. He floated for a second, then fell splat on the ground. It was _hilarious_. Hence, the nickname, Spacewalker."

Clarke laughed loudly. "Oh, I bet it was."

"Anyways," Bellamy says after a few seconds of silence. "we should get going. We have work to do."

"If you say so, boss." Clarke complies, following Bellamy towards their buggy. "Bye, Spacewalker." She smiles, waving flirtatiously at Finn.

He winks back at her. "Bye."

Octavia rolls her eyes as Clarke and Bellamy depart.

"What?" Finn exclaims.

"Aren't you dating Raven?" She asks, hopping into the drivers' side of the buggy.

"Right." He replies, not sounding the least bit sincere.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it, please review/favourite/follow/whatever you want :)**


	2. Let It Go

**Chapter 2**

Bellamy liked to think that he was a good teacher. After all, he did teach Octavia how to swim when she was younger, and she taught him how to play guitar in return. She was always musical, beginning to learn how to play both the drums and guitar at the tender age of four. He didn't have any special talent, although Octavia insisted that he possessed the high honour of being the person that could annoy her the most. To which he always responded with an eye roll.

Bellamy hoped that his years of teaching Octavia how to be a decent human being would help him with teaching Clarke the ropes. He had never trained a newbie before, even after his three years working on the beach. To be honest, he was enjoying being in charge just a little bit. He felt that he could, maybe, be able to be Abe's second-in-command after Anya quit, leaving the old guy in charge.

He wasn't going to sugar-coat it, the job was hard. He tried as best he could to show Clarke that not everything goes smoothly on the beach. She had been there for almost a week now, following Bellamy around, learning, making a hell of a rescue, bonding with Octavia. Finn continued to flirt with her, making Bellamy want to punch the smug smile off his face on more than one occasion. He wasn't sure what to make of his impulses towards the other man, and what they meant when it came to Clarke.

Clarke. He wasn't sure what to make of her at all. She was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. She didn't share much, besides the few general pieces of information she told him on the first day. Hell, he didn't even know her birthday.

They usually sat in silence while they were patrolling, slurping sodas and munching on whatever food she decided to bring along with her that day.

That was another thing; Clarke was the loudest eater _ever. _He was used to Octavia and her noisy habits, and he didn't quite classify himself as the quietest chewer in the world, but Clarke was a whole other story.

"Jesus, do you really have to eat _that _loudly?" He asked her one day, while they were sharing a salad that Clarke made for dinner last night.

"Wha'ya mean?" She mumbled through a mouthful of lettuce and cucumber.

"You're kidding." He chuckled. "You mean you don't notice how much noise you make when you eat?"

"Not really. Although," she said, brushing off her hands, "my best friend back home always said he never knew 'how someone so small could make so much of a racket.'" She told him. "I've just always been loud, I guess."

Her eyes blew wide as she realised what she said, knowing that Bellamy was likely to take it the wrong way. She avoids his gaze, but she can see him out of the corner of her eye, raising an eyebrow, sporting his trademark smirk.

"I mean- I didn't- I don't- I'm not-" She stammers, searching for the right words to correct the situation.

"You're not what?" He tested her, craning his neck in an attempt to meet her gaze.

"I'm not-"She repeated, her face turning an embarrassing shade of red. "I mean-"

He threw his head back in exaggerated laughter, while Clarke stared at him as if he were some alien species.

Deciding he should stop tormenting his rookie, he brought his eyes to meet hers. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Lighten up a little."

She forced a smile, intriguing Bellamy. He noticed the pain in her smile, because it was all too familiar to him. He felt his chest tighten at the sight. "You okay?" He asked her, showing more concern in his voice than he should have.

"Fine." Clarke answered quickly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You are not fine." He stated. "Talk to me." He ordered, and he was met with a surprised look from the blonde. "I need you at the top of your game." He gave her a small smile.

Her expression softened a little then, and she met his gaze. Sighing, she began to talk. "It's just...people used to tell me that a lot after I moved schools when I was a kid." She whispered. "'You're too serious, Clarke'. 'Take a joke'. 'Lighten up a little'. That kind of stuff." She paused. "I had to be serious. I felt like I couldn't let anyone in, after my dad died."

She chanced a look at him then. Seeing no change in his expression, she continued. "My mom relocated us, threw herself into her work, leaving me to deal with my loss on my own." Her eyes glistened with the beginnings of tears. "I've never felt so alone. So I've never had friends, because they all thought I was no fun. 'Killjoy'." A pained look flashed across her face for a moment.

Bellamy's heart clenched as she told her story. Partly because he felt so sorry for her. Mostly because he knew how she felt. "I made myself be the best at everything. I poured my heart and soul into school and swimming, making sure I had plenty of options to get the hell away from Virginia when I finished high school." She continued, "My mom left me alone. I dealt with my problems alone. And then she still had the nerve to make me take pre-med courses. I don't even want to be a doctor."

She laughed lightly, looking at him. She threw a hand up to cover her face, moving so her head hit the back of her seat. "God, my life is _so _fucked up." She exclaimed. Peeking at him through her fingers, she said, "I'm so sorry for unloading all of this on you. I haven't even known you a week, and here I am, dumping all of my emotional baggage on you. I'm so sorry."

He sighed. "Clarke, you never have to apologise for needing to talk." He put his hand over hers. "I'm here if you ever need to talk again."

Her expression changed into one of pure hopelessness. Looking down at their entwined hands, she smiled at him, whispering, "thank you," a single tear trailing a path down her cheek.

* * *

"FINN!" Octavia bellowed, pulling her idiot of a partner from his conversation with a half-naked beach goer. He flashed a smile at the woman before strolling back to her. "Christ, you really are disgusting." She told him, grimacing.

"What?!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. "It's not like I'm gonna sleep with her or anything."

"Yeah, just like you're not gonna sleep with Clarke, huh?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that jealousy I detect, Blake?" He smirked.

"More like hatred." She spat.

"You never seemed to mind my flirting before." He replied.

"You weren't dating my best friend before." She retorted.

"No, but we were-" He said, leaning in closer to her.

"Don't!" She shouted, pointing a finger at him. "It was_ one time_. And I thought we'd agreed to never speak of it again."

"Technically, it was three times, but-"

"I swear Collins, if I hear one more word come out of your mouth, I swear I'll punch you so hard you'll be shitting your teeth for months." She threatened.

He chuckled, "oooh, I'm shaking in my boots."

"Shut up." She orders him. "God, I can't wait until Raven comes back from vacation." She sighs. "Maybe then you'll stop."

"Maybe." He winks.

"Oh, and another thing. If you even think about hurting Raven by hooking up with the new girl, I swear to God, I will drown you and make it look like an accident." She said menacingly.

"Full of threats today, aren't we, O?" He replied, grinning like a madman.

_Damn him and his smug face, _Octavia thought. She rolled her eyes, effectively ending their conversation.

* * *

"Monty, we shouldn't." Jasper told him. "Do you want to get fired?"

"We'll only get fired if we get caught." He replied. "And we won't get caught." He grinned. "And besides, it will be hilarious."

"Mon, Bell will skin us alive if he finds out about this." He tells his friend.

"But he won't find out, now, will he? Now, text them." Monty ordered him.

"I don't like this." Jasper says.

"That's why it'll be so fun." Monty smiles.

* * *

"Octavia, no."

"Bellamy, yes." She replied. "Don't be such a party pooper. It'll be fuuuunnn." She whines.

"Since when has one of Monty and Jasper's parties been fun?" He asked.

"Since always." Octavia smiled. "The morning after, not so much," she agrees, "but if we don't get too drunk, we can avoid an extremely awkward situation á la you and Raven."

Bellamy's gaze snaps quickly to his sister. "How the hell did you know about that?"

"Girls talk. Almost too much, sometimes." Octavia visibly shudders. "I have images in my head that I will never be able to un-imagine." She shifts to meet his gaze. "I cannot believe you slept with her." She chuckles.

"We were drunk! You know what, I'm not talking to you about this." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're not going."

"Yes, I am. I'm eighteen, you can't stop me." She told him, turning back towards her mirror to apply more makeup.

"Yes I can, and I will. You. Are. Not. Going." He said, punctuating every word.

"No, you won't. 'Cos if you even attempt to stop me, I'll tell Gran that you're mooning over the new girl."

His eyes widen. "I am not!"

"You _so _are." She laughed. "And it's great, Bellamy. It's refreshing to see you being an actual human with feelings, for once."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I do _not _have feelings for Clarke." He insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that, Bell. Just know...I can see right through you." She actually had the audacity to _wink _at him before walking out the door. "Oh, and she's gonna be at the party tonight, so if you're so sure you don't have feelings for her, it wouldn't be a problem if I asked you to come and supervise me, right?"

She giggled as she left through the front door. _God, he hated her sometimes_, he thought as he exited the house.

* * *

"Clarke!" Octavia shouted as she entered Monty's small apartment.

Clarke looked up from her phone to see the smaller dark-haired girl advancing towards her. "Oh, good!" Octavia said, "You already have your phone out. Quick, take a selfie with me!" Octavia giggled, and Clarke obliged. A flash illuminated the room, temporarily blinding Clarke.

"Oh, that's so cute!" O said, jumping up and down.

As Clarke's eyes refocused, she met a pair of dark brown eyes across the room. They stared intently at her, invading her soul. She suddenly felt extremely exposed under Bellamy's gaze, so she tried to look away. She failed miserably. His eyes, his face, they just _captivated _her. She was reminded of their conversation earlier, remembering how vulnerable she felt then, too. She also remembered how safe he had made her feel. _God, the guy was a whole heap of contradictions._

She chanced it, and gave him a small smile. He seemed to snap out of his daze then, shaking his head and looking at everything but Clarke. He shuffled off to the side, striking up a conversation with Lincoln.

It was weird; she'll admit that. She'd never had a guy look at her like that before. Brushing it off as a simple case of spacing-out on Bellamy's part, she walked over to the table where Monty was pouring drinks for everyone.

"Hey, newbie!" Monty shouted at her, filling up a red cup for her. "Enjoying your first LA party?"

She smiled. "It's really great, Mon." She wasn't lying; she hadn't been to many- well- any parties in high school, so the small gathering of the people she worked with, plus a few people Monty and Jasper knew from school, totalling about ten-fifteen people in all, was a nice way to ease her into the party scene.

Monty extended a cup to Clarke, who eyed it warily, debating whether or not to accept it.

Monty rolled his eyes, "It's just some beer, Clarke. It won't kill you." He smiled at her.

She decided that she needed to let loose for once in her life, so she took it and quickly downed it.

"Woah, bad day?" Jasper asked, approaching Clarke.

"You could say that." She replied.

"Well, then, you're in the right place." He raised his cup to Clarke. "To having fun."

"Having fun." She repeated, and began her second drink of the night.

* * *

The next thing she remembered was waking up in an unfamiliar room. She was curled up in a small ball on a couch, her back aching because of her crumpled position.

She was- thankfully- fully clothed, still dressed in the black skater skirt and floral print crop top Octavia had insisted she wear. Her mouth was as dry as a bone, and a mother of a headache raged in her head.

Clutching her forehead, she sat up. She was grateful that the blinds had been shut the previous night.

The room was still, no movement to be detected either side of her. The room was occupied, however. Her vision sharpened, revealing a mass of bodies strewn across the small room, a scene that closely resembled a horror movie. She recognised Monty dozing with a bottle of some type of alcohol in his hand against the coffee table. Jasper was lying on the floor a few feet from him, completely unconscious. A friend of Jasper's, (Harper, maybe?) was lying against his abdomen, her hand lightly grazing his thigh. Miller- Monty's neighbour- was passed out against the side of the couch Clarke currently occupied.

Octavia was nowhere to be found; Bellamy wasn't going to be happy.

_Bellamy. _His name echoed in her pounding head, for unknown reasons. She couldn't see him from where she was sitting, nor could she see Lincoln, Finn, or Raven- the other lifeguard that had returned from vacation last night. Clarke remembered- albeit vaguely- that she kind of liked the dark-skinned girl.

She quickly drew conclusions on the rest of the group's whereabouts. Knowing Lincoln, he probably bailed early, Finn was probably passed out in some other room, and she thought that Raven left early to get some sleep that she was severely lacking.

Bellamy- now he was a mystery. There was the possibility he had woken up and left already, but Clarke quickly scratched that off the list considering they were all hungover as hell and it had barely passed ten thirty.

There was also the possibility he left early, too, but a hazy memory returned of seeing him laugh at something Jasper did that was undoubtedly idiotic- and thought that it happened towards the end of the night (or morning, whichever way you want to look at it).

The altogether more likely scenario was that Bellamy left the party following Octavia. She constantly saw the protective big-brother streak in him, on the sand and in the water.

After gathering her thoughts, she attempted to stand up and make a hasty exit. But Clarke being Clarke, she had to knock over almost everything in her path and make as much noise as humanly possible (okay, maybe she _was _a little loud). The racket was followed by a chorus of groans and moans, emanating from every corner of the room.

"Shit, shit, shit." She whispered to herself, clutching her head.

As the others began to wake, she edged closer and closer to the door, occasionally flashing her gaze back to the 'wounded soldiers'. It just so happened that her focus was behind her as she exited the apartment, so she found herself running into a hard wall of muscle and body heat.

"Woah, hold up there, Princess." A deep voice rumbled.

"B-Bellamy?" Clarke stuttered, her vision once again unfocused because of the bright light of late morning. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

"You look...well?" He chuckled.

"Ugh," she groaned, "I don't feel well." Her voice was dry and hoarse. She desperately needed water. Or any liquid.

"Coffee?" Bellamy offered, extending a plain white take-away cup to her.

She nodded weakly, accepting it and taking a long swig. Immediately her face scrunched up, responding to the bitter taste of the drink. "How do you drink this stuff?" She asked, coming to her senses as the caffeine began to course its way around her bloodstream.

He just chuckled. "Come on, Princess, let's get out of here before the others wake up." He said, peering into the room before shutting the door.

Something clicked. "Wait, Princess?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yeah." He replied, meeting her confused gaze. "You don't remember?"

Raising an eyebrow, which took more effort than it should have, she said, "does it look like I remember?" Her tone was snarky and slightly annoyed as she said it, gesturing to her face.

He pushed the main door of the apartment block open for her, shaking his head, laughing. "You really did have a lot to drink last night."

"Out with it, Blake." She ordered him impatiently.

In response, he pulled her phone out of her pocket, a gesture which Clarke was not expecting, in any way, shape or form.

He quickly tapped on it as Clarke made a mental note to _put a freaking password on that thing. _

"Here," he said as he handed the device back to her, the screen illuminated with a horrifying picture of a drunk Clarke. She was standing on a table, had a massive grin on her face, a beer bottle (that she did _not _remember drinking) in her hand, and a massive tiara on her head. "You were singing along to the _Frozen _soundtrack that O insisted we play. You're not a bad singer, by the way." He grinned. "Everyone was calling you princess for the rest of the night."

"Oh, shit." She whispered to herself, scrolling through multiple more photos, some of which showed a slightly more sober Clarke, chatting away happily to Jasper or Monty or Octavia, or others with her arm slung around Harper or another girl that she remembered to be Roma.

Other photos were a million times worse than the one Bellamy had shown her. So bad, in fact, that if she had enough spatial awareness at the moment, she would be deleting right this second. The most horrifying was one where she was completely tongue-tied.

With Bellamy.

* * *

_Okay, to clarify, I really, really don't hate Finn. He's my sweet angel baby and he's probably my fourth favourite character in the show, just below Jasper and just above Raven. So, I'm only making him out as a douche in this story 'cos it'll fit in (hopefully) with the story later on. Okay, I'm done. Hope you liked it!_


	3. Bellamy, no

**Chapter 3**

Monty smiled softly as he woke up to see the mass of bodies strewn around his living room. All of the remaining party-goers were out cold, on the floor, the armchairs in the corner and the couch. He only saw about half his guests, the others, he assumed, were in other rooms. Two bailed earlier, he remembered, and Octavia and Atom disappeared around one that morning.

Light from the early morning sun cut through the room, directly into his eyes. He quickly shielded his eyes, turning from his current position cradled against the couch to the coffee table.

He laughed quietly (the volume didn't matter though, the group was so hungover, they wouldn't be awake for another three hours at least), feeling very, very proud of himself. He had given up an opportunity to get really, really drunk, and it had been completely worth it. He got to watch his friends get drunk off their asses and do the most stupid things, _and none of them will remember a thing. Mwhahahahaha._

He looked at his sleeping comrades, memories of last night slowly flowing back to him.

He remembers Jasper playing beer pong with Finn, Finn winning (of course).

He remembers Harper and Roma throwing themselves at Bellamy (as usual).

He remembers Octavia making out with Atom in the middle of the living room, pissing off Bellamy. (surprise, surprise).

He remembers Spacewalker making out with Rae the entire night (well, until she got fed up with him flirting with the others and stormed out).

He remembers seeing Linc flirting with the teacher that lived across the hall (that, admittedly, kind of freaked him out).

He remembers hearing Clarke singing loudly to _Do You Wanna Build A Snowman _with a tiara that he didn't know was in his apartment (she was a pretty good singer, even when drunk).

He remembers seeing Bellamy glance in Clarke's direction more than once (weird).

He remembers downing another drink, then nothing. _Moonshine, too unpredictable,_ he thinks, filing the thought away for future schemes.

Looking around the room, he tries to piece together the rest of the night. 'Kay, Jas and Harper were pretty close together, did they...? He tries to think, but his mind goes blank.

Clarke was passed out on the couch in front of him, her hand brushing off the floor, her face smushed against the couch cushions (he couldn't remember how she got there, but he was almost sure she had fallen asleep on the ping-pong table).

He heard a rustling then, immediately closing his eyes so that whoever's awake doesn't think he is, too (completely irrational, he knows).

He hears someone pull the curtains closed, tiptoeing their way to his side of the room. The faceless person hovers over Monty's position, his back turned. Thirty seconds later, their presence has gone, and he fell back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Wait, what? Bellamy? No. No, no, no, no. No. That _did not happen. _

Except there is undeniable evidence right in front of her blushing face. She tried to convince herself, okay, they were drunk. She was drunk. He was drunk...wasn't he?

Her fingers ghosted over her lips subconsciously, her eyes remained fixed on the screen. Bellamy didn't notice the gesture. He was looking out the glass door, deep in thought.

_Okay. Breathe, Clarke. Breathe. So you kissed your boss. Big deal. One time-thing, right?_

She pocketed the phone, deciding to cure her hangover before talking to him about this. She knew that it probably wasn't the best idea, but she wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind at the moment. All she wanted was sleep. In an actual bed. And water.

Smiling at Bellamy, who smiled back in that way that caused her blood pressure to rise dramatically, she exited the lobby, putting her head down, away from sunlight and prying eyes. She _so _did not want to look like she was performing the walk of shame.

Bellamy, thank god, had driven here last night, so his car was parked in the complex's parking lot. The car wasn't really that impressive, a red Chevy pickup that looked to be about ten years old. Clarke, being the height that she is, had to jump to get a firm footing in the car.

The silence was deafening as they drove through LA's morning traffic. Clarke wanted to know what he remembered, but she also _didn't want to. _

_He must remember something_, she thought to herself, _he wasn't nearly as drunk as she was._

Maybe that's just it; maybe he remembers, but wants to forget it, just like she does.

So she tries.

* * *

_Bellamy Blake, you have done some stupid things in your twenty-three years, but kissing Clarke Griffin has to top that list._

Octavia will kill him if she finds out.

_Shit, I bet she already knows. What time did she leave again?_

Maybe he's overreacting. The likelihood is that Clarke remembers nothing, and he's just her boss. She _was _drunk off her ass, after all.

But what if she remembers something? What if someone asks her about it?

Oh God, Jasper and Monty will _slaughter_ him.

"Did you say something?" Clarke asks him sweetly.

Shit, did he say that last part out loud?

"I- Uh, no." He stammers.

She nods, taking a deep breath. "So, how much of last night do you actually remember?"

_Okay, Blake. Don't freak out. Simple question._

"Not a whole lot, to be honest." He smiles weakly, the car rolling to a stop at a red light, his thumb tapping on the steering wheel. "You?"

"Only what the pictures say." She replies, waving her phone.

_Geez, Bell. Just say it. Ask her if she remembers._

"Is that all you remember?" He asks sheepishly.

Her head turns to look at him. "Yup." She answers. "You sure that you don't remember anything else?"

He shuffles a hand through his hair, messing up his already beyond unruly curls. "Well, um..."

He feels her eyes narrowing at him. "Bell?"

_Damn her and her amazing voice. Can you be attracted to someone's voice? _He quickly shook his head to refocus himself.

"I-Uh-Um..." He stuttered, trying to find the right words. Luckily for him, he didn't have to. Clarke quickly pulled up a picture on her phone, showing it to him as they stopped in front of her building.

"Do you remember this?" She asks, her query sounding less annoyed than he was expecting.

"I- well, shit." He finally managed to say. Rubbing his eyes, he continued, "yeah, yeah I remember that."

"Okay, well," she huffs, "we know that can never happen again, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Never again." He tries to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"And no-one can find out about this."

"Except for the person who took that picture, at least." He told her.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"Look, Princess," he said, taking the phone off her, "neither of us took that photo. So..."

"Someone else must have. Great." She locked her phone and rolled her eyes.

"So if we find the person who took the picture..." Bellamy says.

"This never happened." She finishes. "Okay, the photo was taken at three am. I think Octavia and Atom left at one. So that rules them out."

Bellamy let out a sigh of relief. His sister doesn't know. _Wait, O left with Atom? __Never mind, I'll deal with that later._ "Rae got pissed off at Finn and left around two. So it wasn't her."

"Okay. I don't think it was Linc either, he left early too." She says.

"Jasper was too drunk to sit up, let alone take a picture. Rules him out."He concludes. "And Miller wouldn't do something like that, I've known him for a while."

"Okay. That leaves Harper, Roma, Monty and Finn."

"If it was Harper or Roma, we should be good. They only call to the beach when I'm working." He tells her.

Clarke raises an eyebrow at him. "Hey, I don't have a say in it!" He defends, holding his hands up in mock surrender. She smiles slightly, making Bellamy smile involuntarily.

"Okay. But if it wasn't one of them..."

"It was Monty or Finn." He completes.

"And if it was Monty or Finn..."

"We are so, so screwed." She looks at him then, eyes locking for a few moments before they slump back into their seats.

Clarke lets out a sigh. "Great."

* * *

At the beach the next morning, Clarke greets Bellamy like nothing ever happened. She treats him as a friend, not a guy that she drunkenly made-out with. They were stationed in the tower that morning, only interacting with each other and the few beach-goers that trailed in and out with various problems and injuries.

The day was largely uneventful, until around two pm, when the crowds were at their peak, and Clarke was paying extra attention to the surveillance cameras that were placed around the beach. She noticed a pasty guy lurking around the beach, particularly around the area directly in front of them.

"Bell, I think I got something." She tells her partner, her eyes not leaving the screen as she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hm?" He mumbles, swirling on his chair to face Clarke's screen.

"There." She says, pointing to the guy at the corner of her screen. At the moment, he was walking around a group of topless women sunbathing on the beach, and Clarke noticed an object that looked like a camera in his hand.

As she let Bellamy look, she grabbed the binoculars and peered out the large window. "Geez, good eye, Princess."

"I told you to stop calling me that." She reminds him. "And thanks."

She hears Bellamy pick up the radio. "Hey Goggles, there's a creep on the beach."

No answer from the other end of the line. "Jas, Mon?"

"Bell, I lost him." Clarke tells him, a note of disappointment tainting her voice.

"Jasper, Monty. Come on guys, answer." Bellamy repeats.

Clarke begins to search for the two guys, searching their post and the water. She spots the two guys performing a rescue farther out than normal. She relays her findings to Bellamy. "They're in the water."

He looks out the window. "Then where's their buggy?"

They scan the beach as Bellamy radios Octavia, who is stationed with Lincoln at the south end, and Finn and Raven, who are stationed at the north end.

"Nah man, we haven't seen it." Spacewalker answers over the radio.

"Us either, Bell." O replies.

"Wait, wait! Bellamy, there it is!" Clarke shouts urgently, pointing out at the moving buggy which was quickly advancing towards the tower. A crowd of kids playing soccer jump out of its way. Clarke is already out of her chair, leaping out the door.

Meanwhile, Bellamy radios Finn, who is closest to Clarke's position, telling him to get his ass down there now. He sees Raven jump out of the buggy, which Finn promptly races down the beach.

Clarke is already on the sand, heading quickly towards the rogue buggy. Bellamy can see her from the tower, standing not directly in its path, but slightly to the side. He finds himself gripping the table entirely too tight, his knuckles turning white.

The buggy seems to change course to head directly for Clarke, and Bellamy finds his heart beating a million times faster than it should.

She remains still, unmoving as the large vehicle bumps towards her, her stance strong and confident, like a warrior on a battlefield.

Bellamy found himself almost shouting _MOVE _at her_, _suddenly feeling as protective of her as he is of Octavia. He needed her to move. He needed to move. But someone had to watch the tower (he also couldn't tear his eyes off the strong woman before him, but that was for an entirely different reason).

The buggy was mere feet from her now, threatening to squash her into the sand. Bellamy was biting his lip so hard that he tasted blood. _Just move, Princess, just move._

Except she didn't. At least, not until the last possible second. She quickly grabbed onto one of the bars on the front of the buggy, swinging herself up onto the side of the vehicle. She strongly fought against the perp inside, kicking, punching.

Clarke brilliantly achieved the upper hand by punching him directly in the stomach, not causing any blood to spill, but still managing to gain enough leverage to take control of the vehicle and throw the criminal out of it.

She pulls the buggy to a stop as Finn pulled up. The guy who had stolen the buggy was, in fact, the pervert that Clarke had spotted earlier, identified by his pasty face and bug-eyes.

Bellamy breaths a sigh of relief, relaxing his muscles and letting go of his desk. He smiled to himself, proud of Clarke's brutal take-down.

Minutes later, she enters the tower as the police that Bellamy had called earlier arrived to take the guy into custody.

Bellamy's eyes widen. While Clarke managed to get in some great swings, she had a bloody nose, split lip, and what looked like the beginnings of a black eye.

"Christ, Clarke." He whispers, reaching out for her face.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She insists. Still, Bellamy ran across the room to retrieve tissues and an ice pack for the wounded trainee.

"You're not fine. Sit." He orders her. "Hell of a fight, though. Didn't know you had it in you." He chuckles.

"Funny. I'll have you know I have a black belt in judo." She tells him.

"Seriously?" He asks.

"Seriously." She replies.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." He laughs, she laughs with him.

She sharply sucked in a breath, wincing. Bellamy's eyebrows furrowed.

"You okay?" He asks, worry cracking in his voice.

"Yeah. Probably just a bruised rib." She tells him.

"Clarke, you should go to the hospital." He suggests.

"No. I'm fine. Like I said, probably a bruised rib." She defends.

"Oh, no, Princess. You're not a med student yet. Hospital. Now." He orders.

"Bellamy..." She whines.

"Princess." He says, grabbing her jacket. "Let's go."

"I'm fine." She repeats for what seems to Bellamy like the hundredth time.

"You're not fine."

"Yes, I am."

"No."

"Yes!" She shouts, wincing then.

He laughs in victory. "Let's go, Princess."

"Ugh." She groans, and follows him out the door.

* * *

Bellamy waited outside A&E for Clarke, while the nurses patched her up. She came out an hour after she went in, her eyes significantly blacker than earlier.

He stands up as she approaches with a nurse, the ice pack that she used earlier now melted in his hands.

The nurse gives him a run-down of her condition, "two bruised ribs, a broken nose and a sprained wrist. She has to restrain from doing any strenuous physical activity for at least three weeks. If she does that, she should be fine."

Bellamy nods curtly at the young woman, giving her a slight smile. He sees her cheeks redden as she grins back, and apparently, Clarke does too, because she rolls her eyes at the two of them.

As the nurse left them (not without glancing back at Bellamy, though) Clarke looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't have to wait for me, you know."

"I know." He replies. "But here I am."

She smiles, a little less brightly than she usually does (but Bellamy blames that on her split lip), as she shuffles her feet on the linoleum floor.

He grins back, placing a hand lightly on the small of her back. "C'mon, Princess." He says. "Let's get you home."

"I told you to stop calling me that." She reminds him.

"I don't recall ever having that conversation." He smiles.

She laughs.

* * *

"Bellamy, I told you to go home." She reminds him. Again.

"And I told you no." He replies cheekily, smirking.

"Bell. I'm fine. Really." She tries to convince him.

"You got attacked by a psychopath today, Princess. You are not fine." He says, handing her a glass of water, along with the pain medication she had been prescribed.

"He was not a psychopath. Just a delinquent." She corrects him.

"Oh, yeah. 'Cos there's a difference." He challenges.

"There is. A psychopath is..." She trails off, realising he was just trying to start _another argument_ with her. She narrows her eyes at him.

He returns the gesture, adding a signature Bellamy Blake smirk.

After a minute, Clarke says, "fine. You can stay. As long as you pay for the pizza I'm about to order." Grabbing the phone, she begins to dial a number.

"Deal."

"Yes, hi. One extra-large pepperoni. Oh, and garlic bread. And fries." She shoots him a mischievous grin.

He rolls his eyes and smirks.

The pizza arrives twenty minutes later, and they spend the night curled up on Clarke's shitty couch marathoning Marvel movies.

* * *

When they're back at work the next day, they're put in the tower until Clarke fully recovers (which isn't bad, for either of them). They still hadn't found who took the picture, and with all that went on the day before, Clarke almost forgets about it.

Almost.

They come in after lunch, spotting a picture taped to their desks. They exchange a 'we're fucked' look, as another member of their team comes running in.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Monty shouts, throwing his gangly arms around the pair's shoulders. "I bet you must be having fun cooped up here together." He winked at Bellamy, ignoring the death stares he was receiving from Clarke and Bellamy.

"Monty, I swear to God, if you tell anyone about this, I _will _kill you." Clarke threatens, shrugging his arm off.

"OOOH, I'm so scared." He replies sarcastically.

Bellamy folds his arms as he turns around to face Monty. "I would be bro, she has a black belt."

"Too bad everyone already knows, then." He chuckles.

Clarke closes her eyes and begins counting backward from three.

As her eyes snap open, she has a fiery glare in her eyes.

"Run." She whispers.

Monty has never followed an order so fast.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. Expect the next one to be less Bellarke, more Octavia-Clarke-Raven bonding and Finn-Clarke flirting. Also hella jealous Bell. But, that may not happen just yet. I'll just write where my inspiration takes me.

Review/Fav/Follow/Whatever :)


	4. Jealousy's a bitch

**Chapter 4**

**I'm so sorry that this is so late, my muse was being a bitch. At least it's up now! Hope you like it!**

It was painful. At first, Octavia had thought, _great, finally the guy has actual human feelings for once. _It was strange, seeing Bellamy act like the lovesick teenager he never was. But at this point, a drunken make-out session, a hospital trip, more fights than she could remember and a month and a half later, Bellamy and Clarke both remained single. Until they weren't anymore.

So, about a month after Clarke had joined them, her evaluation came around. It was Bellamy's job to recommend to Lincoln if she should get a permanent position on the beach. Even if Bellamy's judgement hadn't been so blinded by his affections for Clarke, she knew she still would have gotten the job (mainly because Octavia wouldn't have let Bellamy get rid of her, but that's a different story).

So, it came as no surprise (to the rest of them, anyway) when Bell told her she got the full (paid) position. Clarke had happily enveloped Bell in a clumsy embrace, grinning like an idiot.

When Clarke pulled back, Bellamy was smiling too, his eyes locked on hers. They stood with their arms still entwined, his arms around her waist and her hands resting lightly on his forearms.

The words "oh, for the love of God," were heard coming out of Monty's (oversized) mouth, muffled groans from Raven and Jasper, and even Lincoln was pinching the bridge of his nose at the sickeningly-sweet scene. Finn was chuckling quietly in the corner, which earned him an evil glare from Raven (who dumped his sorry ass after she found him making out with Roma at Monty's party, which now meant that Octavia was stuck with Spacewalker as a partner, for fear Raven would electrocute him with the wires from the buggy).

It took the pair quite some time to fully grasp the fact that all the people they worked with were staring at them and took them even longer to wrench their gazes away from each other.

So, Finn being Finn, and his favourite hobby being pissing off Bellamy, took Bellamy's blatant fondness for Clarke as an invitation to ask the blonde out.

When Clarke had told Octavia that she was going on a date with Finn, it took all the strength and willpower she had not to bitch-slap her across the face (She did fire off a 'what the hell are you thinking?' a couple of times, though).

It took even more strength not to pick up the phone and call Bell the minute she left the apartment (and Raven, so she could beat both their asses into the ground).

When O called Clarke the next morning to see how the date went, all she got was Clarke gushing about Finn.

"_Oh, it was brilliant, O. He was such a gentleman." _She had said.

_Collins, a gentleman? Yeah, not in this lifetime. _

She should have warned Bellamy, in retrospect, because when the pair entered the tower the next day, Clarke laughing maniacally at Finn's jokes, playfully hitting his arm while he whispered in her ear, everyone could quite literally see the steam blowing out of Bell's rapidly reddening face.

When Linc walked into the tower, he did a double take, looking to Finn, to Clarke, to Bellamy and to Octavia. He shrugged, his brow furrowing, a look that said 'what the actual fuck?'. O answered by shaking her head in a kind of 'don't ask' gesture, so he left.

Finn gave Clarke a kiss on the cheek (Bellamy turned noticeably greener) as he asked her, "Hey, do you want to pair up with me for the day? I'm sure O would love to get rid of me." He winked at her across the room while O was using all of her self-restraint trying not to punch him.

Clarke glanced over at Bellamy, asking him, "you don't mind, do you, Bell? You can finally get out on the sand after being cooped up with me here for the past few weeks."

Bell seemed to (somewhat) compose himself, turning to get up. "Yeah, sounds great, Princess." He smiled weakly. "I'll go find Rae. O, you don't mind pairing up with Abe today, do you?"

"Not at all." She replied.

So, as Octavia spent the morning with Linc, stealing glances back at the tower while chatting to him, as if she could actually see (or wanted to see) what was going on inside there.

"Is Clarke actually serious?" she asked him halfway through their morning shift, slumping in her seat.

"You should know, you're her friend." He quickly replied.

"But I still don't know what the hell she's thinking, I can't read minds, y'know." She told him. "She's obviously attracted to Bellamy, although it's a mystery to me as to why, and he's so head-over-heels in love with her...why don't they just stop denying it?"

"Octavia, I can't read minds either." He quietly answered.

"You have a Psychology degree. Same difference." She replied nonchalantly.

"Actually, completely different." He said.

"Mm, not really."

He groaned. "Fine. You want to know my professional opinion on why I think your brother is acting this way?"

"It would help, yeah."

"He's scared. He's afraid to let himself feel anything for Clarke because he doesn't know how to control those feelings. And if there's one thing your brother needs, it's control." He explained.

That made so much sense to her. She knew he was a control freak, she'd witnessed that every day for the past eighteen and a half years.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a genius?" She asked her partner.

"Just you." He smiled at her, and she felt her stomach turn itself inside out.

"I've got to fix this." She said to herself.

"You can't, Octavia. You just have to let them sort it out themselves." He told her. She knew he was right.

But she sure as hell could give them a nudge in the right direction.

* * *

"Dear_ God._" Raven huffed as she set down her binoculars. "Would you stop torturing yourself for one second?" She grabbed the phone, opened to Clarke's contact page (which had a picture of her smiling maniacally as Bell took the picture) out of his hand.

"Hey!" He shouted, flailing his arms wildly after the stolen device. "Give it back!"

"Are you talking about the phone or Clarke?" She challenged, shutting Bellamy up.

She raised an eyebrow at him; he shied away from her knowing gaze, twiddling his thumbs.

"Bellamy Blake, I have no words for how idiotic you're acting." She told him.

"Dunno wha' you mean." He mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Sweet Jesus. You're hopeless." Raven said, suddenly coming up with a plan.

She grabbed Bellamy, pulling him close and kissing him roughly.

That sure snapped him out of his daze. "What was- uh- that?" He asked, running a hand through his salt-damaged hair.

"I'm trying to stop you from thinking about Clarke for one minute!" She exclaimed before seeing Bell's pained expression. "Jesus, you've got it bad."

"You think?" He said, smiling weakly, glancing back at the tower. "And you're okay with this? Finn and Clarke?"

"Nope. But it's not my place anymore. If it was, I would punch them both so fast-" She had a scowl on her face that made Bellamy feel a slight bit of pity for Collins. The feeling dissipated fast, though.

Raven's face lit up suddenly, a mischievous look in her eye (Bellamy never liked that look).

"We have to mess with their heads." She said, grabbing his forearm excitedly. "Make them jealous."

"You really want to make Spacewalker come crawling back to you?" He questions, intrigued by the woman's sudden excitement.

"Hell no! I just want him to see how much he's lost." She smirked. "And you want Clarke to notice you. Which means; we make them jealous."

"You're kidding, right?" He asked, unsure.

"This is the most serious I've been in months." She answered, deadpan.

Bell raised an eyebrow at her, making her burst into a fit of laughter. He laughed too, the first time all day.

"So we're doing this?" She asked. "Pretend to be a couple?"

"I don't see why not." He smiled. "You're a good friend, Reyes." He told her, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"The best. And don't you forget it."

* * *

They had their plan thought out by the end of shift. They would 'get caught' in the locker room after they 'thought everyone had left'. Word would spread quickly, mainly because none of their co-workers could keep their big mouths shut.

They would say that this 'thing' had been going on for weeks, ever since Rae and Finn broke up, but they had only been sleeping together at first, and had only just decided to make it official. (It was plausible, right?)

They had established ground rules; no actual sleeping together, no telling anyone (_not even Octavia, Bellamy_), and absolutely no falling in love with one another (he had laughed at that one).

He was tempted to type up a mission plan at lunch (_you're such a dork, Bell, _Raven had said).

He thought it was a bit of a bad idea, he was afraid it would backfire, afraid it would end up hurting someone. Then he realised that he didn't care. He didn't want to think of the consequences, he just wanted Clarke. And he was willing to try anything to get her (when did she become so important to him, again?)

He tried to relax as they finished up their shift, but he kept fidgeting (he never fidgets), dropping the boards he was carrying back to the storeroom.

Raven shot him an 'act cool, for fuck's sake' look, and he mentally cursed himself, and Clarke (for walking into his life).

The locker room was empty as he walked in, Raven behind him. He turned on the signature Blake charm and tried to visualise his princess in front of him, rather than Raven.

(Did he really just call Clarke 'his princess'? _Jeez, Blake, you're so screwed_).

Raven shot him a smile, one that actually seemed genuine (when did Rae become such a good actress?).

He decided that, if this was going to work, he was going to have to apply every piece of knowledge that was ingrained into his brain after that drama class he was forced to take senior year. (Maybe that lead role he got in 'High School Musical' was worth it, after all).

So he kissed her, hands roaming up and down her back as her fingers curled in his hair, tugging lightly.

They didn't have to make out for long before someone interrupted them.

"Woah." Octavia said, holding her hand over her eyes. "I didn't see this, I didn't see this." She repeated, turning her back to the both of them. "Are you two _freaking kidding me? _I thought she was only a 'one-night stand', Bell! And you said he wasn't even that good!" She shouted, pointing at the both of them.

Bellamy gave Raven an 'are you kidding me?' look ('cos, let's face it, he knew he was freaking amazing in bed).

She waved him off in favour of trying to calm Octavia down before she had a full-blown panic attack.

"O, calm down. Shit, we didn't want you to find out this way, oh God, I'm so sorry sweetie, we should have told you."

Bell stood behind Rae, amazed at the way she was handling the situation. Raven hit him in the leg, telling him to say something.

"Jesus, Octavia, I'm so sorry. I feel like a total dick." He said.

"You are a total dick. Sleeping with my best friend, really? That's a new low." She sniffled.

"We aren't just sleeping together, O." He lied, putting an arm around Raven's waist. She responded by wrapping a hand around his waist, pulling her body closer to his.

Octavia raised her eyebrows. "Really? You two? Dating?" She said, her surprised tone evident.

"Yep." Raven replied, nestling herself closer to Bellamy's chest. He kissed her head affectionately.

"Wow. Okay. That's...great." Octavia smiled (her fake smile, Bellamy noticed). "I mean, if you two are happy, then I'm happy."

"We are, O. We really are." Raven grinned convincingly, a look which Bellamy mirrored.

"Great. Then, don't let me get in the way. I'll just grab my stuff and you two can go back to- whatever." Octavia finished, rushing over to her locker to retrieve her gear. "Bye." She said, practically sprinting through the door.

Bellamy let go of Raven as soon as she left, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Now all we have to do is-" Raven began, interrupted by Bellamy's phone signalling a new incoming message. "-wait for that."

He looked at the screen.

_**Mon;**_

_ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU AND REYES? WOAH MY BRAIN JUST IMPLODED _

Ravens phone bleeped seconds later;

_**Goggles;**_

_YOURE FUCKING BELL? FUCKING HELL, RAE _

And another message;

_**Dipshit;**_

_Really? Bellamy? Rae, your standards have gone way, way down ;)_

Raven gripped her phone so tight it threatened to crumble in her hands.

Their phones continued to beep as they grabbed their stuff. Lincoln texted both of them the same message;

_I hope you know what you're doing._

Trust Abe to be critical.

Raven received texts from her old roommate and another friend from college (both of whom she was pretty sure had slept with Bellamy) as well as a friend of Finn's.

Bellamy neglected to look at his texts until he got home.

_**Miller;**_

_I thought you were into that other girl, the princess? _

_**Roma;**_

_You and Raven deserve each other :/_

_**Harper;**_

_I'm happy for you, Bell. :)_

He even got a text from his grandmother;

_**Granny;**_

_Finally! I keep telling Octavia to find you a nice girl. I like this Raven. Just be safe, honey, I'm too young to have grandchildren yet._

He hated that Octavia taught her how to text.

The inevitable text from Clarke came at eleven pm, just as he had resigned all hope that she even cared.

Her picture flashed up on the screen, illuminating his darkened bedroom.

_**Princess;**_

_I would suggest that we all go on a double-date, but I'm pretty sure that would end in murder. :) _

He felt sick. He had thought that she might have actually cared, might have been jealous, but she was just brushing it off like it was nothing.

He told himself that he shouldn't care, that he shouldn't be resisting the urge to call her right there and then and confess his feelings for her.

_God, what was this woman doing to him? _He wasn't the gushy, romantic boyfriend type, in fact, he had been called a commitment-phobe on more than one occasion. But yet, here he was, trying to convince himself that he shouldn't care what the Princess thought, when he knew he did.

He decided to send her a quick text back, trying his hardest to sound even remotely confident.

_**Me;**_

_Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea :)_

He threw in the smiley face for good measure.

She texted back minutes later.

_**Princess;**_

_We have enough trouble trying to keep those two from killing each other at work :) Anyway, I'm happy you're happy. Night, Bell :)_

A lump formed in the back of his throat. He replied as he tried to ignore it.

_**Me;**_

_Night, Princess._

_**Princess;**_

_I told you to stop calling me that._

_**Me;**_

_And I told you I didn't want to :)_

_**Princess;**_

_Goodnight, idiot :)_

_**Me;**_

_Night :)_

He didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. _She shouldn't be getting so damn emotional over the fact that Bellamy was dating Raven. No, she should be curled up in bed with her boyfriend, not standing over the sink in her small bathroom, trying her hardest not to punch the mirror.

She wasn't even sure why she was so worked up. She was dating a great guy, Bellamy was her partner, her friend. Nothing more (At least, that's what she tried to tell herself).

She should be having breakfast with Finn, not furiously punching the shit out of the punch bag at the gym.

She should be cuddling with Finn on their day off, not binge-watching sappy rom-coms, alone.

She should be happy, but she's not.


End file.
